HT's/ Horace G

Billbrpt Billbrpt@aol.com
Fri, 20 Mar 1998 12:58:37 EST


In a message dated 98-03-20 01:26:05 EST, you write:

<< If you can make it - let's see if you can identify what, if indeed anything
at all, I do.   Bye-the-by, my personal temperament is _anything_ but
Victorian...  >>

>From what you were saying in the Journal in response to Jim Coleman's ET
w/pure 5ths, that is the way you tune now, "Pythagorous on steroids" was a way
I describing it that I found appealing.

I have done the Beethoven 5th Piano Concerto and if I had to do it over again,
I would choose the Vallotti.  It will give the piano a "razor sharp" in tune
sound with clean 5ths and gentle beating (less than ET in the keys of Eb & Bb
and the key of B will also have everyone's favorite, the pure 5th and a
beautiful, melodic, signing tone which is appropriate for the remote key
middle movemment.

Pray tell, what will you do and why?  Is ET the answer after all of your years
of knowing so many temperaments and all of the ins and the outs of the
business?  If you are doing something other than ET, are you *telling* the
artist?  If not, why?  Are you tuning the piano *"back"* to ET afterwards?  Is
ET your choice simply to avoid any trouble and so you won't have to tune it
*"back"* or because you "won't have time" to do anything else?  Do you regard
ET w/pure 5ths as a "version" of ET?  If so, how can ET be two different
things?  Is it unethical to do what you think is best and not discuss your
decision with the artist?  

The List needs to know the reasons why you will do what you will do.  If you
prefer to wait until after the performance to answer these questions, fair
enough.

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin


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